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Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 12/23/2022 10:15:03 AM

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 12/23/2022 10:15:03 AM

12/22/22 Thursday

This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise
Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file
with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

Debt From US Military ‘Investment’Aid Will Make Ukraine ‘Failed State’ Controlled by West -
Expert
5 hours ago
By - Fantine Gardinier

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington, DC, on Wednesday,
Congress was debating a large new military aid package for Kiev. Zelensky urged US
lawmakers to think of the money not as “charity,” but as “an investment.”
An expert in regional and military matters told Sputnik on Thursday that the massive amounts of
money would be used to control and loot Ukraine, as well as enrich connected persons and
institutions in the West, including the Democratic Party.
“The US is investing in the belief that they will be able to weaken Russia and eventually see a
regime change and potentially to dismantle Russia which will then also enable a further
containment of China,” said Earl Rasmussen, executive vice president of the Washington,
DC-based Eurasia Center and a retired Lieutenant Colonel with over 20 years in the US Army.
“This also acts to disrupt economic cooperation between Europe and Russia and [between]
Europe and China, thus potentially leading to the deindustrialization of Europe, specifically
Germany,” he explained. “Moreover, the US Military Industrial Complex (MIC) is profiting
considerably from the ‘conflict’ and increased tensions. Additional opportunities may occur for
western (US) companies to ‘reconstruct’ Ukraine and to obtain Ukrainian resources” at fire sale
prices, he added.
The academic and veteran explained there are many in the US leadership who believe the US
is “the indispensable nation which essentially rules the world,” and seeks to retain that position
at almost any cost.
“The objective is to retain US hegemony and to prevent any potential global or regional
challenger from emerging. Ukraine is seen as the key to containing and essentially weaken or
even destroy Russia. The objective is not merely to contain Russia but to oversee a regime
change and potentially dismantle/restructure Russia, as we know it,” he said.
“Regardless of the narrative being touted, the support is not about Ukraine nor ‘democracy,’” he
said. “Ukraine is merely a pawn to global geopolitical objectives of people currently in power. As
we found out in recent interviews from [former Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko and
[former German Chancellor Angela] Merkel, the Minsk Agreements were never meant to be
implemented but rather were merely a means to ‘buy time’ in order to strengthen Ukraine,
providing NATO equipment and training.”
The $45 billion most recently pledged to Kiev is almost double the $48 billion it has been given
in the year 2022, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, an influential US think tank. Of
that, $22.9 billion was for military efforts, including grants, loans and purchases of military

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Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 12/23/2022 10:15:03 AM

equipment, training, logistics, and other support measures. However, Rasmussen noted that
most of the funds haven’t really been “given” to Ukraine, but to defense contractors.
“Many of these systems are not ‘donated’ and will need to be paid back to the US by Ukraine.
Direct funding goes straight to the government or to other organizations.”
“There currently is no audit function or accountability in place for neither weapons nor funds,” he
noted. “As we have seen, already weapons are finding their way into the hands of terrorist cells
in Africa and the Middle East. This should really be no surprise. Indications are that a majority of
supplies are being traded on the Black Market. Direct funds are another issue, however there
seems to be some evidence that Ukraine was a major ‘investor’ with the since discredited crypto
company FTX.”
“By coincidence, FTX was a major political contributor to US political parties, primarily the
Democratic Party. Thus some funds after some ‘laundering’ ended up in the political contributors
of US politicians. I am sure Ukrainian oligarchs have also been beneficiaries of the US taxpayer
‘investments,’” he added.
Indeed, Rasmussen noted that Ukraine would eventually have to “pay back” for the
“investments,” creating the same kind of debt crisis as the Lend-Lease program did in World
War II, which the US used to give the UK and China while staying out of the hostilities.
“Other means may be from the heavily discounted transfer of ownership of land and industries
to non-Ukrainian ‘partners,'” he said. “Regardless, Ukraine will be indebted for generations into
the future.”
“Economic hardship will last for the foreseeable future and perhaps decades or even
generations,” he also predicted. “The country will essentially be a failed state. I would expect
social and political unrest for a long period. The US is the ultimate decider or overseer of the
payments. They may have some joint roles with other G7 countries or through the IMF or World
Bank but for the most part the US [will] be the main influencer/debt collector.”

This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise
Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file
with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

Tesla Turbulence: EV Maker Offers $7500 Discount on Popular Models as Investors Fume Over
‘No CEO’
By - Fantine Gardinier

The electric vehicle manufacturer has had another turbulent year in 2022, with its shares
steadily falling as demand slackens and its CEO, Elon Musk, pours his attention into his most
recent purchase: social media giant Twitter.
Tesla announced on Thursday it slash the price by $7,500 on two of their two most popular
models: the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y sport utility vehicle. It’s also added 10,000 free
miles of use of its specialized Supercharging stations, used to rapidly recharge the company’s
car batteries.
According to US media reports, the change was also motivated by the US Treasury saying on
Thursday it was postponing new guidance on EV tax credits created by the Inflation Reduction
Act until March. The law , signed by US President Joe Biden in August, offers $7,500 in tax

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 12/23/2022 10:15:03 AM

credits to buyers of certain electric vehicles made in the United States in an attempt to stimulate
domestic EV consumption and to motivate EV makers and their subsidiaries to relocate to the
US.
However, according to Department of Energy data released earlier this month, several Tesla
models qualify, including the Model 3 and Model Y, but had already hit the law’s limitation on the
number of units allowed to qualify. Tesla’s equivalent price cut thus fills the gap.
On Thursday, Tesla’s stock fell by nearly 7% on news of the new delivery credits. Year-to-date,
it’s lost over 67% of its value. While the company has struggled with a number of chronic issues,
including keeping up delivery demand, its major investors are increasingly pointing the finger at
Musk and his obsession with taking over Twitter.
"We all know why Tesla stock is down and it has nothing to do with the company," said Ross
Gerber, head of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management, a Tesla shareholder,
during a Twitter Spaces event earlier this week.
"The company is doing great. The company has the best environment it could possibly want. It's
about to get a bunch of incentives from the government. The factories are ramping up. New
products are launching. The only problem is the optics of having the CEO on Twitter every day
discussing the problems of Hunter Biden,” he said.
Musk initially made the deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion in April, but amid fighting with the
company’s board over information on automated bots and other bugbears, Musk’s takeover was
delayed until late October. He pledged a “free speech” overhaul on the site, ending lifetime bans
for several right-wing accounts, including former US President Donald Trump, and implementing
a host of other changes to the site, all while purging nearly three-quarters of its staff.
Then in early December, Musk began releasing to several journalists treasure troves of
information, dubbed “The Twitter Files,’’ about Twitter’s cooperation with the FBI to suppress
everything from inconvenient news stories to alleged misinformation by accounts in countries
targeted by the US for regime change, such as Cuba and Iran.
Gerber also took a swing at Musk on Twitter, saying Tesla “has no CEO” and that it was “time for
a shakeup.”
After Musk replied, asking for his “great ideas,” Gerber laid out three demands, including that
Tesla needs a communications and media team, that it needs a succession plan and clarity on
when Musk would return from Twitter, and that the company needs to communicate about
Musk’s massive sales of Twitter stock and reach a stand still agreement.
Recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show that Musk has sold $3.5
billion in Tesla stock in recent days, in addition to $3.9 billion he sold in early November, just
after buying Twitter. Since late last year, Musk has unloaded about $40 billion in Tesla stock.
Following a Twitter poll earlier this week, Musk said he was “actively searching” for a new
Twitter CEO and would step down as soon as one could be found.

Biden’s New Moscow Envoy Should Look to Peace-Broker Roosevelt for Inspiration, Professor
Says

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 12/23/2022 10:15:03 AM

By - Fantine Gardinier

On Wednesday, the US Senate voted to confirm Lynne Tracy, presently the US ambassador to
Armenia, in her new appointment as US ambassador to Russia. Her appointment comes at a
low point for Moscow-Washington relations, with US sanctions seeking to strangle the Russian
economy as US aid prolongs a bloody conflict in Ukraine.
That same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came to Washington and delivered a
far different message from US President Joe Biden, who stood alongside him. Biden predicted
Zelensky would be prepared to negotiate with Russia to end the 10-month-long conflict that has
killed 100,000 Ukrainians, according to US estimates, but instead, the Ukrainian leader denied
the possibility of peace with Moscow. The US Congress is preparing to pass a massive new $45
billion aid package that would double the money given to Kiev this year; in fact, the measure
has already cleared the US Senate.
John Tures, political science professor at LaGrange College in Georgia, told Sputnik that Tracy
“checks all the boxes” for being a good envoy in Moscow, but the real test will be whether she
can improve the dismal US-Russia relationship and help facilitate an amiable end to the conflict
in Ukraine before it consumes all of Europe and beyond.
“When I look for quality in an ambassador, I look to see if he or she has relevant experience and
knowledge, and can get along with others, and isn't some party hack or wealthy donor (and yes,
America has had some of those in the past),” he noted.
“Lynne Tracy checks all the boxes for being an excellent nominee. She's got the knowledge in
her educational background, and the experience not just in being an ambassador, but being in
the right region. Experience working with the Armenians should help Ambassador Tracy in her
new role. She's been nominated by presidents of both parties, and was confirmed by a much
wider margin than her predecessor, who was more associated with one party.”
Tures said Biden needed “the right person for the job,” since his pick could be “the most
consequential” since the Cold War ended in 1991.
“Definitely this administration needed the right person for the job, given her education,
experience and ability to work with multiple sides. She's not a partisan or a prominent donor, so
this pick was about professionalism,” he said.
However, qualifications are one thing, but practice is another. Tracy will have a mountain of
tasks before her, not the least of which is finding a solution to the conflict in Ukraine that doesn’t
involve nuclear weapons or an all-out brawl between NATO and the Russian Federation.
“In addition to helping state the US position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and where NATO
stands, Ambassador Tracy will be asked to help negotiate the release of Paul Whelan, and may
be called to work a solution through a third party, so knowledge of other regions might help here.
I am sure [outgoing] Ambassador John Sullivan must have done a good job for the USA, or
President Biden would not have kept him, but the new ambassador will be called upon to do
more for helping resolve the regional conflict.”
“Ambassador Tracy should make it clear that the US should not require regime change or acts
that would break up Russia, a major concern in Russia I am sure. I spoke with a pro-Russian
professor who articulated this to me, and I had not heard that concern in the USA media. But
now I am seeing similar concerns by pro-Russian Republican elected officials, which may be
leading to an existential misperception,” he said.

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“The best way to resolve the conflict is to go back to the pre-2022 state of affairs, so this conflict
does not go nuclear or bleed both combatants militarily and economically dry. At this point, both
sides should seek that deal. It's not worth [weapons of mass destruction] being used for Ukraine
to retake even Crimea at this time, or the USA to support that.”
“Long ago, US [President] Teddy Roosevelt won the Nobel Prize by helping broker a peace for
the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. The USA should return to that role of broker, even if it
means Ukraine doesn't get everything they want.”

CDC: US Life Expectancy Falls for Second Straight Year, Hits 25-Year Low
By - Mary Manley

The report is based on data collected on American death certificates tracked by the CDC’s
National Center for Health Statistics and affirms the declining rates from Augusta when they
revealed their preliminary data for the study. According to the CDC, the life expectancy for 2021
is now the worst two-year decline on record since 1923.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new reporton Thursday revealing
the shocking discovery that the average life expectancy for Americans has dropped for the
second consecutive year and is the lowest it has ever been since 1996. Since COVID-19 was
first detected in 2019, life expectancy has fallen by 2.7 years as of last year.
Those born in the US in 2021 are now expected to only live until they are 76.4 years old, which
is down from a peak of 78.8 years in 2019. That is a significant drop considering the average life
expectancy statistical change to range somewhere between 0.1 and 0.2 years.
"The declines in life expectancy since 2019 are largely driven by the pandemic," the agency
explained in a news release. "COVID-19 deaths contributed to nearly three-fourths, or 74%, of
the decline from 2019 to 2020, and 50% of the decline from 2020 to 2021."
One in eight deaths for 2021 were caused by COVID-19, which is an increase from one in 10
deaths in 2020.
According to Kenneth Kochanek, a co-author of the report, life expectancy in the US has been
increasing for decades until COVID-19 hit the world in January of 2020. But the US, which
already had a lower life expectancy when compared to other countries, still continues to rank
the lowest among countries with large economies.
“Then this one disease comes along and just wipes everything out..." Kochanek explains. "I’ve
never seen anything with this much of an impact in a short period of time.”
Heart disease remained the leading cause of death among Americans, followed by cancer.
COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death and these three causes made up half of the
deaths for 2021.
Another factor which contributed to the life expectancy decline was “unintentional injuries”; drug
overdoses made up a third of the deaths in this category. For the year of 2021: 106,999 drug
overdose deaths occurred which is equivalent to 32.4 people per 100,000 people.

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Drug overdoses, which have been propelled by the opioid epidemic, are now five times greater
than they were two decades ago and contributed to the life expectancy decline by 15.9%.
"These data are very tragic but not surprising," said Dr. Nora Volkow. director of the National
Institute on Drug Abuse. "The pandemic had a magnifying effect on an already-devastating
overdose crisis, and exacerbated many of the stressors in society that make people more
vulnerable to taking drugs."
"We also know that substance use is more dangerous than it has ever been, as fentanyl has
continued to permeate the illicit drug supply, increasing the risk for overdoses among both
people with substance use disorders as well as those who use drugs occasionally," Volkow
added.
While the death rate changes outlined in the CDC's report differed among demographics, white
people saw a significant jump in their death rates (an increase of 7%) across both genders
between 2020 and 2021. COVID-19 was the leading cause in the decline of life expectancy
among white people in 2021 and contributed to 54.1% of their life expectancy decline last year.
Meanwhile, women on average are living about six years longer than men and are expected to
live past 79 years old. The CDC also found that death rates for Hispanic people and Black men
decreased. Asian Americans also saw the smallest decline in life expectancy last year among
any race, with cancer making up their leading cause of death.

Dramatic Footage Captures Moment Plane Crashed on Santa Monica Beach, Left Two Injured
By - Mary Manley

Two people were injured on Thursday after a small airplane was left flipped upside-down after it
attempted to land on the shoreline of the Santa Monica Beach. According to the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot attempted an emergency landing after reporting engine
issues.
A single-engine Cessna 150A plane attempted to land just south of Santa Monica’s popular pier
and slammed into the shoreline on Thursday, ultimately flipping and landing upside-down. The
Los Angeles County Fire Department reported two people trapped inside the aircraft had been
rescued.
One passenger on board suffered a cardiac emergency and both passengers were taken to the
hospital for treatment; however, their current conditions are unknown. No other injuries were
reported.
A video shared on Twitter shows the plane’s crash landing, revealing how the plane came to an
abrupt stop and flipped after it hit the shoreline.
The plane had departed the Santa Monica Airport before reporting an engine failure to the FAA.
The pilot attempted an emergency landing at around 3:15 p.m. local time, and crash-landed
belly up on the Santa Monica beach.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the crash and
releasing the preliminary results of their investigation in the coming days.

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This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise
Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file
with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

House Jan. 6 Panel Releases Final Report on Capitol Riot Findings

The Thursday release unfolded as the panel released the transcript of 34 witness testimonies
the day prior. Among the previous release were testimonies from former Justice Department
official Jeffrey Clark and Trump lawyer John Eastman.
The House select committee investigating the events that took place during the January 2021
Capitol riot released its final report late Thursday, outlining how former US President Donald
Trump engaged in a "multi-part conspiracy" to overturn the 2020 election.
The 845-paqe report includes various documents based on more than 1,000 interviews and
obtained emails, texts and phone records, among other evidence.
“This report will provide greater detail about the multistep effort devised and driven by Donald
Trump to overturn the 2020 election and block the transfer of power,” Committee Chair Rep.
Bennie Thompson (D-MS), wrote in a foreword in the report.
The report goes on to underscore that "none of the events of January 6th would have happened
without" the former commander-in-chief playing as ringleader.
The panel effectively mapped out its findings in the same manner it held its hearings, describing
the pressure that was placed across the board on states, federal officials, lawmakers and
ultimately US Vice President Mike Pence.
Between the November 2020 election and the Capitol riot, Trump and his inner circle "engaged
in at least 200 apparent acts of public or private outreach, pressure, or condemnation, targeting
either state legislators or state or local election administrators, to overturn state election results."
The report comes hours after the panel had earlier released transcriptsof witness testimony from
former Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Chris Krebs, former
Defense Secretary Mark Esper, former White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews,
Justice Department employee Ken Klukowski and Stephen Ayres, who attended the riot.
The findings were also released three days after the nine-member committee voted at its final
meeting to refer Trump and a group of allies to the Justice Department on four criminal charges:
insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States
government, and making false statements to the United States government.
The former president has repeatedly spoken out against the investigation and more recently
against the referred criminal complaint, referring to the charges as "fake."
"The people understand that the Democratic Bureau of Investigation, the DBI, are out to keep
me from running for president because they know I’ll win and that this whole business of
prosecuting me is just like impeachment was — a partisan attempt to sideline me and the
Republican Party," he wrote at the time.
Aside from bringing the 18-month investigation to a close, the late Thursday release also marks
the final act for House Democrats, the party of which will no longer be in the majority in the
lower chamber.

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Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 12/23/2022 10:15:03 AM

This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise
Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file
with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

Meta to Pay $725Mln to Settle Lawsuit Over Cambridge Analytica Scandal - Court Filing

WASHINGTON, December 23 (Sputnik) - Facebook's parent company Meta (banned in Russia
over extremism) has agreed to pay $725 million to settle a class action lawsuit that accused the
company of sharing users' personal data with the political consultancy firm Cambridge
Analytica.
"The proposed Settlement of $725,000,000 is the largest recovery ever achieved in a data
privacy class action and the most Facebook has ever paid to resolve a private class action,"
Keller Rohrback L.L.P, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, said in a court filing late
Thursday.
The lawsuit was filed in 2018 after Facebook disclosed that it had harvested the information of
around 87 million users and shared it with Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy firm
linked to the 2016 campaign of former President Donald Trump.
The consultancy reportedly used the data for the purpose of voter profiling and targeting of
political advertising.
The court filing states that "Facebook has meaningfully changed the practices that gave rise to
Plaintiffs’ allegations" and "meaningfully enhanced its ability to restrict and monitor how third
parties acquire and use Facebook users’ information."
The proposed settlement does not admit any wrongdoing and must still be approved by a judge
in the Northern District of California.

This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise
Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file
with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

About 1 Mln Americans Face Power Outages Due to Severe Weather Ahead of Christmas

WASHINGTON, December 23 (Sputnik) - Strong winds, heavy rains and cold weather have
caused power outages in the eastern and some other parts of the United States, affecting about
1 million people, the Poweroutage.com web portal reported on Friday.
More than 500,000 people have no electricity in the states of Connecticut, North Carolina and
Georgia. Another 160,000 are experiencing the same problem in Texas and South Carolina.
In 17 other states, from 11,000 to 50,000 people are facing power outages, according to the
portal.
The US National Weather Service warned that 200 million people, or roughly 60% of the US
population, are under winter weather warnings or advisories across the country. "Historic winter
storm to produce widespread disruptions to large portions of the nation heading into the holiday
weekend," the warning said.

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Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 12/23/2022 10:15:03 AM

Fed's Main Inflation Indicator at 5.5% on Year in November - Commerce Department

WASHINGTON, December 23 (Sputnik) - The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, the
Personal Consumption Expenditures Index, grew 5.5% during the year to November, easing
slightly from a previous rate of 6%, the Commerce Department said on Friday.
"From the same month one year ago, the PCE price index for November increased 5.5 percent.
Prices for goods increased 6.1 percent and prices for services increased 5.2 percent. Food
prices increased 11.2 percent and energy prices increased 13.6 percent," the department's
Bureau of Economic Analysis said in a statement.

Over 4,000 US Flights Canceled, Delayed Due to Severe Winter Weather - Tracker

WASHINGTON, December 23 (Sputnik) - More than 4,000 US flights were canceled or delayed
on Friday due to severe winter weather in most of the country, the FlightAware.com portal
reported.
"Total cancellations within, into, or out of the United States today: 3,315," the tracker said.
Another 1,400 flights were delayed, it added.
Well over 300 flights were canceled in such airports as LaGuardia near New York City,
Settle-Tacoma International in the state of Washington, as well as in Detroit and both airports in
Chicago.
In the US capital area, more than 170 flights, or almost 20%, were canceled in the Reagan
National Airport. Almost 140 flights were canceled in two other airports in the region -
Baltimore-Washington and Dulles International.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a warning about heavy snow, strong winds and
life-threatening cold for the central and eastern US.
"A powerful winter storm and sharp cold front will continue to produce snow from the Midwest
and Ohio Valley through the Great Lakes and interior Northeast into this weekend. The
combination of very cold temperatures and gusty to high winds over much of the central and
eastern U.S. will continue dangerous wind chill temperatures behind the sharp cold front.
Flooding is possible in the Northeast," the warning read.
Over 200 million people, or roughly 60% of the US population, are under winter weather
warnings or advisories across the country, it added.

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RPT -ANALYSIS - US Faces Uphill Battle Against China’s Rare-Earth Dominance

WASHINGTON, December 23 (Sputnik) - The US will be hard-pressed to break its rare earth
dependence on China in the near future, a reliance the Biden administration has deemed a
national security threat, due to steep regulatory hurdles along with a lack of capabilities and
technologies, the types of which Beijing has been developing for more than three decades,
experts told Sputnik.
China has a virtual monopoly on nearly all of the 17 rare earth elements (REEs) on the periodic
table - critical minerals used in a wide-range of advanced applications, some of which are
indispensable for developing green technology like electric vehicle motors. The US Geological
Survey (USGS) listed sixteen of the REEs among 50 critical minerals - critical being defined as
essential to US economic and national security and highly vulnerable to supply disruption.
The Biden administration has allocated or invested billions on developing critical mineral
capabilities with demand for some metals expected to rise as much as 400% in the next two
decades amid the green transition.
A US State Department official in early December said the US is looking at funding about a
dozen mineral projects overseas to mine resources used in low-carbon technologies. The official
said the United States will need an "exponential" amount of rare earths. The funding may come
through a mineral security partnership program with about ten allies, including Australia,
Canada, Japan, and the EU.
In terms of domestic production, the United States currently has one active rare-earth mine,
owned and operated by MP Materials. However - the company must send 100% of the rare
earth oxide (REO) mined to China for processing to deliver finished products.
Marina Zhang, an associate professor of research at the Australia-China Relations Institute,
University of Technology Sydney, believes the Asian giant’s edge will not be easy to overcome.
Beijing, she added, has developed massive capacity and technical capabilities that have
allowed China to control 90% of rare earth metallic production and 85% of refined production.
"China has clear structural advantages over its competitors, if any, for the next 10-15 years,"
Zhang told Sputnik. "Such advantages include lower mine and factory permit and licensing costs
and timelines, and relatively lower labor and environmental costs, as well as advantages in
talent and patent accumulations."
The US is particularly concerned with reliance on imports of Neodymium-lron-Boron (NdFeB)
permanent magnets used in critical products like electric vehicle (EV) motors and guided missile
actuators. In September, the Commerce Department ruled that dependence on China for this
product constituted a national security threat, but stopped short of imposing tariffs.
The Biden administration has invested at least $200 million to boost domestic production to
close this permanent magnet gap. MP Materials, which secured $35 million of the funding,
forecasted that it could produce the magnet - from cradle to grave - at a newly-built facility in
Texas by the end of 2023.
Zhang, however, said even if MP Materials delivers NdFeB magnets, the US still lacks access
and know-how to incorporate two key rare earth elements - terbium (Tb) and dysprosium (Dy) -
which are necessary to ensure high heat resistance.

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"Standard NdFeB magnets, without Tb or Dy, cannot be used in high-temperature applications
such as EV drive motors, wind turbine motors, elevator motors, industrial robotics and advanced
weapons systems," Zhang said. "No other country can make a high-temperature NdFeB magnet
without Chinese inputs of separated Tb and Dy. China is, so far, the only source for a
guaranteed, uninterruptable supply of high-energy NdFeB magnets."
Zhang also pointed out that if the Americans close the capability gap, they at some point will
again face a dearth of raw rare earths.
"Another hurdle: US regulatory and permitting process for opening a new mine typically exceeds
a decade or more, which will limit MP Materials, for example, to explore new mine sites," Zhang
said.
The MP Materials mine in California sits on top of a mere 2.1 million tons of rare earth reserves
while China has at least 44 million tons. The company, in its most recent quarterly filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), conceded there is a risk environmental
regulations will impede development of resources.
Zhang also underscored that, as the US takes steps to enhance capabilities, China will not
stand idly by.
"China will not stay still for its competitors to catch up," Zhang said. "Instead, it continues to use
industrial policy to support both state-owned and private enterprises to strengthen its entire RE
value chain, including preserving its RE reserves and developing technological capabilities in
applications for high-end RE products, such as high-energy NdFeB magnets."
In addition to minerals, the US has fueled a trade war with China on the microchip front by
blacklisting over 30 entities last week in a bid to deny them advanced equipment needed to
make high-end semiconductors.
Professor Sunitha Raju of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in New Delhi told Sputnik that
China could respond by indigenizing the entire microchip value chain and boosting its
already-dominant position in the lower node chip domain. Moreover, a number of US tech giants
might resist because they rely on China for a substantial portion of revenue, Raju added.
Raju also said China could "weaponize" its dominance in rare earth materials that are used for
chip manufacturing. At that point, she warned, the US-Chinese trade confrontation could take an
"ugly turn."
DEEPER SECURITY CONCERNS
In addition to the economic and supply chain impact, Washington is also worried about more
sinister threats posed by Chinese critical minerals - especially those that can be found on
thousands of US weapons systems.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon halted delivery of F-35 jets upon discovery that a subcontractor
used a Chinese-origin rare earth magnet on an engine part.
In October, the Defense Department issued a waiver allowing Lockheed Martin to resume
deliveries of the jets while setting about looking for alternative sources. The Pentagon confirmed
that the component was not transmitting sensitive information back to China and did not affect
the safety or airworthiness of the fighter jets.
The crisis prompted lawmakers to introduce a bill in early December that calls for investing $1
billion to ensure the Pentagon secures "critical mineral independence" from China by 2027.

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A member of the US Defense Policy Board, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Michael
O’Hanlon, indicated that although a full blown trade war with China is not necessary, caution
should be taken with respect to security-related materials.
"It’s not crucial that we decouple from China on basic commodities. I just wouldn’t want
exclusive sourcing from China," O’Hanlon told Sputnik. "On components, however, we don’t
want Chinese input in case it’s doctored."
China has repeatedly pushed back against US anti-trade policies and rhetoric, accusing
Washington of economic coercion, unfair market segregation, and hindering cooperation.

REVIEW - Keystone Oil Spill Continues to Raise Questions as Cleanup Timeframe Unclear

WASHINGTON COUNTY, KANSAS, December 23 (Sputnik) - More than two weeks since the
Keystone oil pipeline leaked into a creek in Kansas in what became one of the largest onshore
crude disasters in US history, hundreds of workers continue to clean up the contaminated area
and water, yet the completion date remains unclear, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the
scene.
On December 7, approximately 14,000 barrels of oil leaked from the Keystone pipeline in
Washington County, Kansas, according to Canadian operator TC Energy. The cause of the leak
is still unknown, but the company continues to investigate and repair the damaged portion of the
pipeline.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a press release last week that the oil
leaked from the ruptured pipeline was diluted bitumen, a heavy crude oil, which may be harder
to recover because it tends to sink in water rather than float on the surface. Incoming colder
weather may also impact recovery efforts, the agency said.
HUNDREDS WORKING NON-STOP
Washington County residents estimate that more than 500 people are taking part in the
response efforts. Towards the end of the day, a string of cars arrive at a local gas station with a
grocery store. The majority of people from these cars wear workers' uniforms.
In addition to the emergency responders from TC Energy, experts of EPA, as well as the Kansas
Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) are working on the site, Randy Hubbard,
Washington County’s emergency management coordinator, told Sputnik.
"No negative impact to humans (drinking water, air, etc.). All other items mentioned are being
monitored by the EPA and KDHE," Hubbard said.
The EPA also confirmed non-stop work in the area of the accident.
"As of Dec. 18, 5 p.m. CT, TC Energy has recovered an estimated 7,233 barrels of oil from the
creek (13,877 barrels of oil and water). The recovery rates have the potential to slow by the
upcoming cold weather in the area," Hubbard said.
As of Tuesday evening, the number of employees involved in the cleanup had reached 625
people, doubling in the last 10 days, the EPA said. TC Energy told Sputnik that the number of its
employees on the site is about a third less.

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"We have a team of over 400 onsite," the company said.
Meanwhile, it is impossible to get closer to the area since nearby roads are fenced off with signs
saying "Road Closed." In addition, checkpoints with guards are seen in the area.
CAUSE STILL UNCLEAR
Two weeks have passed since the accident, but the cause still remains a mystery. Until now,
neither the authorities nor the owner of the pipeline has announced even preliminary
conclusions.
"TC Energy has not released that information," Hubbard said, when asked what could have
caused such an extensive oil spill.
The company itself did not respond to Sputnik's inquiry about what led to the accident and
referred it to the latest press releases.
However, whatever caused the latest accident was far from the first in a series of similar
incidents.
"This is not the first spill from the Keystone 1 pipeline, which has a history of spills. In fact, this is
the pipeline’s 22nd spill, a dozen of which happened in its first year of operation alone and in
2017 one of these spills dumped more than 400,000 gallons of oil into farmland in South
Dakota," environmental nonprofit Sierra Club said in a statement.
The pace of the recovery efforts could potentially slow down due to the coming cold weather,
Hubbard said.
The Washington County emergency management coordinator said it is unknown how long the
entire cleanup will take.
"Some say - 2 months, others - 6 months. Maybe even a year," a local resident told Sputnik,
speaking on how long it might take.
Alongside uncertainty around the timeframe for the cleanup efforts, there are questions about
the spill’s possible environmental impact. While oil was prevented from spreading further by a
protective barrier, local residents say that the smell of gas was present in the air. This
information was confirmed by the Washington County Kansas Emergency Management.
"Many residents in and around Washington have reported waking to what smells like gas. We
are aware of the situation. Residents are not in danger and the situation is being monitored.
More details to come as we gain more information," the agency wrote on social media.
The organization confirmed that barriers had been installed to contain the oil spill.
"Adam was constructed within 12 hours across Mill Creek, in the area locally referred to as the
low water bridge, constructed by the County under guidance from the oil company, KDHE and
the EPA, to prevent the oil from moving downstream, and potentially into larger waterways," it
added.
Hubbard said he is not yet aware of any allegations, complaints or lawsuits from local residents
in connection with the accident.
Kansas State Rep. Lisa Moser said 14 farms were affected by the disaster.
"Another 9 indirectly affected. Instructions to make a claim have been clearly communicated to
those affected by this situation... Impact on wildlife: 71 fish, 4 mammals. 1 beaver has
succumbed after cleaning," she said.

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Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file
with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

Germany Struggles to Produce Enough Ammo to Support Own Security, Ukraine - Reports

WASHINGTON, December 23 (Sputnik) - Germany is struggling to produce enough
ammunitions to support Ukraine and its own military readiness due to industrial base issues,
The Wall Street Journal reported citing German officials and industry leaders.
The report said on Thursday that Germany only has enough ammunition to last more than two
weeks if it were to have a direct military confrontation with Russia today.
Germany's industrial base is hampered by a scarcity of skilled workers, supply chain
bottlenecks, high costs of financing, lack of production capacity, and environmental regulations,
the report said.
Germany's solution to its problem includes plans to expand its production across Europe,
refurbishing a Soviet-era factory in Romania to produce NATO-standard artillery shells and
Soviet-standard weapons used by Ukraine, according to the report. More details about the
project could be announced by the end of December, the report added.
Ukrainian armed forces are using about 6,000 artillery shells a day and are running low on
antiaircraft missiles, the report said citing intelligence officials.
NATO members are required to have enough ammunitions in their stockpiles to last for at least
30 days of combat.

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Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file
with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

ANALYSIS - US Faces Uphill Battle Against China’s Rare-Earth Dominance

WASHINGTON, December 23 (Sputnik) - The US will be hard-pressed to break its rare earth
dependence on China in the near future, a reliance the Biden administration has deemed a
national security threat, due to steep regulatory hurdles along with a lack of capabilities and
technologies, the types of which Beijing has been developing for more than three decades,
experts told Sputnik.
China has a virtual monopoly on nearly all of the 17 rare earth elements (REEs) on the periodic
table - critical minerals used in a wide-range of advanced applications, some of which are
indispensable for developing green technology like electric vehicle motors. The US Geological
Survey (USGS) listed sixteen of the REEs among 50 critical minerals - critical being defined as
essential to US economic and national security and highly vulnerable to supply disruption.
The Biden administration has allocated or invested billions on developing critical mineral
capabilities with demand for some metals expected to rise as much as 400% in the next two
decades amid the green transition.
A US State Department official in early December said the US is looking at funding about a
dozen mineral projects overseas to mine resources used in low-carbon technologies. The official

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said the United States will need an "exponential" amount of rare earths. The funding may come
through a mineral security partnership program with about ten allies, including Australia,
Canada, Japan, and the EU.
In terms of domestic production, the United States currently has one active rare-earth mine,
owned and operated by MP Materials. However - the company must send 100% of the rare
earth oxide (REO) mined to China for processing to deliver finished products.
Marina Zhang, an associate professor of research at the Australia-China Relations Institute,
University of Technology Sydney, believes the Asian giant’s edge will not be easy to overcome.
Beijing, she added, has developed massive capacity and technical capabilities that have
allowed China to control 90% of rare earth metallic production and 85% of refined production.
"China has clear structural advantages over its competitors, if any, for the next 10-15 years,"
Zhang told Sputnik. "Such advantages include lower mine and factory permit and licensing costs
and timelines, and relatively lower labor and environmental costs, as well as advantages in
talent and patent accumulations."
The US is particularly concerned with reliance on imports of Neodymium-lron-Boron (NdFeB)
permanent magnets used in critical products like electric vehicle (EV) motors and guided missile
actuators. In September, the Commerce Department ruled that dependence on China for this
product constituted a national security threat, but stopped short of imposing tariffs.
The Biden administration has invested at least $200 million to boost domestic production to
close this permanent magnet gap. MP Materials, which secured $35 million of the funding,
forecasted that it could produce the magnet - from cradle to grave - at a newly-built facility in
Texas by the end of 2023.
Zhang, however, said even if MP Materials delivers NdFeB magnets, the US still lacks access
and know-how to incorporate two key rare earth elements - terbium (Tb) and dysprosium (Dy) -
which are necessary to ensure high heat resistance.
"Standard NdFeB magnets, without Tb or Dy, cannot be used in high-temperature applications
such as EV drive motors, wind turbine motors, elevator motors, industrial robotics and advanced
weapons systems," Zhang said. "No other country can make a high-temperature NdFeB magnet
without Chinese inputs of separated Tb and Dy. China is, so far, the only source for a
guaranteed, uninterruptable supply of high-energy NdFeB magnets."
Zhang also pointed out that if the Americans close the capability gap, they at some point will
again face a dearth of raw rare earths.
"Another hurdle: US regulatory and permitting process for opening a new mine typically exceeds
a decade or more, which will limit MP Materials, for example, to explore new mine sites," Zhang
said.
The MP Materials mine in California sits on top of a mere 2.1 million tons of rare earth reserves
while China has at least 44 million tons. The company, in its most recent quarterly filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), conceded there is a risk environmental
regulations will impede development of resources.
Zhang also underscored that, as the US takes steps to enhance capabilities, China will not
stand idly by.
"China will not stay still for its competitors to catch up," Zhang said. "Instead, it continues to use
industrial policy to support both state-owned and private enterprises to strengthen its entire RE

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value chain, including preserving its RE reserves and developing technological capabilities in
applications for high-end RE products, such as high-energy NdFeB magnets."
In addition to minerals, the US has fueled a trade war with China on the microchip front by
blacklisting over 30 entities last week in a bid to deny them advanced equipment needed to
make high-end semiconductors.
Professor Sunitha Raju of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in New Delhi told Sputnik that
China could respond by indigenizing the entire microchip value chain and boosting its
already-dominant position in the lower node chip domain. Moreover, a number of US tech giants
might resist because they rely on China for a substantial portion of revenue, Raju added.
Raju also said China could "weaponize" its dominance in rare earth materials that are used for
chip manufacturing. At that point, she warned, the US-Chinese trade confrontation could take an
"ugly turn."
DEEPER SECURITY CONCERNS
In addition to the economic and supply chain impact, Washington is also worried about more
sinister threats posed by Chinese critical minerals - especially those that can be found on
thousands of US weapons systems.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon halted delivery of F-35 jets upon discovery that a subcontractor
used a Chinese-origin rare earth magnet on an engine part.
In October, the Defense Department issued a waiver allowing Lockheed Martin to resume
deliveries of the jets while setting about looking for alternative sources. The Pentagon confirmed
that the component was not transmitting sensitive information back to China and did not affect
the safety or airworthiness of the fighter jets.
The crisis prompted lawmakers to introduce a bill in early December that calls for investing $1
billion to ensure the Pentagon secures "critical mineral independence" from China by 2027.
A member of the US Defense Policy Board, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Michael
O’Hanlon, indicated that although a full blown trade war with China is not necessary, caution
should be taken with respect to security-related materials.
"It’s not crucial that we decouple from China on basic commodities. I just wouldn’t want
exclusive sourcing from China," O’Hanlon told Sputnik. "On components, however, we don’t
want Chinese input in case it’s doctored."
China has repeatedly pushed back against US anti-trade policies and rhetoric, accusing
Washington of economic coercion, unfair market segregation, and hindering cooperation.

This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise
Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file
with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

Pentagon Considers Training Ukrainian Forces on Patriot System in US - Reports

WASHINGTON, December 23 (Sputnik) - The United States is considering training Ukrainian
forces to use the Patriot air-defense system at a military base in the United States, Politico
reported, citing two US defense officials.

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The report said on Thursday that the decision to conduct training in the United States rather
than in a third country in Europe is because of the weapon system's sophistication that requires
several months of training.
A Patriot - the most advanced air defense system in the United States' arsenal - takes about 90
troops to operate, the report said.
If the United States decides to conduct training in the United States, Ukrainian forces will likely
be stationed at Fort Sill in the state of Oklahoma, the report also said.
The United States will likely deliver a Patriot battery it has in its stockpile instead of relocating
one that is already deployed, the report added.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced a new $1.85 billion security package for
Ukraine that includes one Patriot air defense system.

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with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

Historic Winter Storm Sweeping Across US Puts 200Mln Under Alerts - Weather Service

WASHINGTON, December 23 (Sputnik) - A record winter storm with perilously cold
temperatures and strong winds moved across the western and central US and has about 60
percent of the population under weather alerts ahead of the Christmas weekend, the National
Weather Service (NWS) said in an advisory.
"As of Thursday afternoon, over 200 million people in the US are under some form of winter
weather warning or advisory. This includes nearly 177 million for wind chill warnings or
advisories, 11 million for blizzard warning, 65 million for winter storm warnings, and 500
thousand for ice storm warnings," the NWS said.
The NWS said the current situation represents "one of the greatest extents of winter weather
warnings and advisories ever."
According to several media reports, the arctic blasts are sparking the formation of a "bomb
cyclone" in and around the Midwest and Great Lakes.
The temperature has dropped to -30 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas of Montana, with the
wind chill bringing it down to as low as -46F, according to reports from residents.
The historic winter storm will produce widespread disruptions to large portions of the US, the
release said, with the powerful arctic front expected to sweep across the eastern third of the
nation next.
NWS Boulder said the temperature drop from of 37F - from 42 degrees Fahrenheit to 5 degrees
- might be the biggest one hour drop recorded by the area's Automated Surface Observing
Systems (ASOS).
"Widespread record low maximum temperature are possible Friday from the Lower Mississippi
Valley, northeastward into the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys and stretching across large sections
of the east from the Southeast, through the Southern to Central Appalachians and into the
Mid-Atlantic on Friday," the release added.

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The storm has caused havoc on the holiday travel front. Over 2,200 flights have been canceled
ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend within, into, or out of the United States, according to
FlightAware.com, with 7,600 total delays.
School districts across the country - including in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Colorado,
Nebraska, Virginia and Maryland - announced closings made to prepare for unsafe winter
conditions.
Earlier in the day, President Joe Biden implored those who would face the threat posed by
"dangerous, threatening" weather to pay attention to warnings from local weather forecasters,
first responders and elected officials. In remarks shortly before a briefing with officials from the
Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service, he cautioned
Americans.
"I encourage everyone, everyone to please heed the local warnings. We’ve tried to contact 26
governors so far in affected regions. Go to weather.gov for more information," said Biden before
briefing in the Oval Office. "This is not like a snow day when you were a kid. This is serious
stuff."

Raytheon Wins Order to Sell 290 More AIM Missiles to US Military - Pentagon

WASHINGTON, December 23 (Sputnik) - Raytheon Missile and Defense has won a more than
$317 million US Navy contract extension to produce 290 more AIM-9X tactical missiles, the
Defense Department announced.
"Raytheon Missile and Defense [of] Tucson, Arizona is awarded a $317,415,034 modification
...contract ...for the production and delivery of AIM-9X production Lot 23," the Defense
Department said in a press release on Thursday.
The contract extension procures 290 AIM-9X Block II All Up Round Tactical Missiles, including
160 for the US Air Force, 12 for the Army and 118 for foreign military sales, the release added.
The contract will also include 146 Block II Captive Air Training Missiles; 178 All Up Round
Containers; and 13 spare Advanced Optical Target Detectors and other equipment, according to
the release.

Florida Supreme Court Approves Governor’s Petition to Probe COVID-19 Vaccines - Order

WASHINGTON, December 23 (Sputnik) - The Florida Supreme Court has approved a request to
impanel a grand jury to investigate criminal and wrongful activity related to the development and
distribution of messinger-RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines, according to an order published by
the court.

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